


Birthday gift - Christmas Visitor

by coldphoenix



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2019-02-23 20:54:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13198383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coldphoenix/pseuds/coldphoenix
Summary: Birthday gift for a friend on tumblr, featuring her OC.





	Birthday gift - Christmas Visitor

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little birthday gift for @friku8706, featuring her OC Zero and Frost. I know this probably isn’t how Friku had them meet in her headcanons, but… I thought it was a nice little idea anyway, with a Christmas theme XD I hope you like it ^_^ Happy birthday!

Frost tensed as he stepped into the soup kitchen, like he always did. He didn’t like being in a public place for too long, in case he got caught… but he was starving. he’d used up the food he’d obtained last time he came to one of these places, and after allowing himself to go hungry for as long as he possibly could, he’d had no choice but to come here. He pulled his cloak over his head, hiding his face as best he could, and he joined the long queue of people waiting for free food. The place was even more crowded than usual… but for good reason. There seemed to be twice as much food, and twice as many volunteers working. Whatever organisation was running this place clearly put more money into it at Christmas. Hm. Why? Starving people were starving all year round; Christmas didn’t make them any hungrier or any greater in number. It just made them more pathetic. More pitied… more viewed as charity cases by those who had more than them. Not even that much more, in some cases. That was what sickened Frost the most. Some of these volunteers… they had nothing. He could tell by looking at them. They had small homes, bills to pay, children who didn’t get _everything_ they wanted for Christmas… These people had kind hearts, but not money to spare. Not the kind of money Frost was used to. Was that why they spent their free time working here? Because they knew what it was like to financially struggle? Did they help the homeless because at the back of their minds they knew there wasn’t much distance between them? That if they lost that underpaid job they resented so much, they would be on this side of the food counter? … Tch. These people were pathetic. All of them. The volunteers, and the homeless rodents they were feeding. Frost didn’t belong here. He didn’t deserve to be here. He wasn’t like these people. These… street vermin. These people did deserve to be here. They deserved to be homeless, and cold, and starving, because they had never done a single thing that made them deserve anything more. They weren’t businessmen, they weren’t successful, they weren’t accomplished… They weren’t anything that Frost was. He should be looking down on these people. He did look down on them, but he should be doing it from a much greater height. From his mansion, surrounded by beautiful décor, warmth and food that would cost a volunteer’s monthly salary to provide just one meal. He didn’t’ deserve to be here, amongst these vermin. Breathing in their germs and their filthy smell, having to look at their dirty, sickly faces and their old, torn clothes. These people were animals. He wasn’t one of them. He never would be one of them! What was he doing here…?

Frost shuffled down the queue, keeping his nose covered by his cloak. He didn’t want to breathe in their scent. Why didn’t homeless people bathe? There really was no excuse. Frost managed to wash himself in restaurant bathrooms. Why didn’t these people do that? Too hooked on drugs to care, were they? Too preoccupied with begging for change like animals, only to waste it on alcohol and fast food. Frost had to get out of this city… if only to get away from these foul beings. He could go to the country… he could survive on fish and birds; nobody would look for him out in the wilderness. Just until he figured out his next move… He could come back to the city when the heat had died down a little, when the next big criminal came out and everybody had forgotten about Frost. What had he done wrong anyway? Really? He hadn’t raped anyone. He hadn’t murdered anyone. … Not really. Not in the traditional sense. His actions might have led to the deaths of millions of people… but that still wasn’t as bad as actually putting his hands around somebody’s throat and choking them to death. Or skinning them alive, or drowning them, or bludgeoning them… It really was amazing what some people were capable of. Frost had never done anything like that. Those people were monsters, really. … The kind that Frost used to hire, to do his dirty work for him so that he could sleep in his million-zeni bed with clean hands. The kind of monsters that Frost was above… … Dammit. How had he ended up here…?  
“Merry Christmas.” A sweet, gentle volunteer smiled at Frost as she gave him a tray, containing a generously portioned Christmas dinner and a bottle of water, and a hot chocolate drink as well… my, they really were being kind this year, weren’t they?  
“I’m sure it is.” Frost replied, wincing slightly at the look of pity in her eyes. How dare she. How dare she pity _him_. She had no right to pity him. She was below him! She would see… When he got over this unfortunate blip in his career, she would see how superior to her he was. They she would regret ever looking at him with pity in her eyes. It would be admiration instead… That, and fear. Frost snarled, and headed for the door.

He took the tray outside. It was cold, but… there really were a lot of people indoors. Desperate people. If one of them recognised him, they wouldn’t think twice about turning him in for cash. Frost couldn’t take the risk. He crouched down by the bins at the back of the soup kitchen, and ate as little of the dinner as he needed. It was delicious… he could easily finish the whole thing, but he had to save as much as he could. He didn’t know when he would be able to eat again. He drank the hot chocolate, though. It had been a while since he’d consumed anything warm. Then he just sat there for a moment, enjoying the warmth of his drink and the lack of his hunger while it lasted. It had been a while since he’d felt like this. Though he could still remember it. The distant memory of having food at Christmas – or any day of the year, actually. And much better food than this, as well. Really expensive, high quality food. The kind that most people couldn’t afford, but Frost had taken for granted. Food never used to be a luxury for him… it was always just there. There, for him to have at his convenience. There for him to waste, many times. When he thought about the food he used to waste… Well, it hadn’t been wasted really. His staff would eat it, or take it home to their own families. It must have been quite a treat for them, actually. They couldn’t afford food like that, not on what Frost used to pay them. … … He didn’t deserve this, did he…? … No. No, of course not. They didn’t have to be his staff. Nobody had forced them. They could have made something of their lives, and become as wealthy and privileged as him. It wasn’t Frost’s fault if they’d been too lazy to actually become somebody. That was on them. … There were so many of them, as well… So many people that had worked for him…

Frost closed his eyes, basking in the blissful comfort of his memories. Memories of an endless supply of people to do his bidding, expensive food, beautiful surroundings, a large, soft warm bed… and wine. Fine, blood-warming wine. Flown in from every part of the universe, just because Frost wanted an expensive glass to go with his expensive dinners. … Hm. The corners of Frost’s mouth twitched into a smile as he vividly remembered it all. He’d had such a good life. He could really do with a glass of wine right now…

He exhaled, all too aware of the empty cup in his hand. No wine… just hot chocolate, and now it was gone. As was his daydream. All he was left with now was reality. The reality that he was sitting by the outside bins of a soup kitchen, in the bitter cold, with half of an adequate tasting Christmas dinner in front of him – one that he would need to ration, because he didn’t know when he would be fed again. … This was depressing. Why had it come to this…? Why…?

Frost didn’t stay there for too long; he didn’t want to get spotted by the homeless. He put the food in a capsule he had stolen from an absent-minded Christmas shopper; it wouldn’t go off in there. Then he made his way through the streets, looking for shelter for the night. It was very peaceful, actually. It was late in the evening, and everybody was either indoors with their families or in bed after an eventful Christmas day. How many delicious Christmas meals did Frost pass as he wandered past the houses? How many new toys and beautiful things had he been so close to? He should try breaking into a house… no doubt any one of these would have received something worth stealing for Christmas. … Hm… that wasn’t a bad idea, actually. Common burglary was below Frost, but… then again, so was visiting a soup kitchen. Desperate times… he couldn’t afford to honour his pride anymore. Just until he rose back to his former glory – and he _would_ rise back to it… he had to do whatever it took to survive.

So, he waited. Until after dark. Frost had picked a house at random. He’d watched it from a distance; he’d waited for the occupant’s guests to leave and for the lights to go out. The guests were just two people, and a young male had let them out alone. He lived alone… a single young adult male. He’d probably been given a TV or a games console or some other expensive technology for Christmas. That would do fine; it would fit in the capsule. Even if he sold it at a fraction of its value, it would still earn Frost enough money to buy himself food for a while. And somebody living alone would be easy to deal with if Frost got caught. This was a good idea. Perhaps not the most graceful… but a good idea.

When the lights went out, Frost stealthily moved to the back of the house. He used a small, short ki blast to take care of the lock on the back door. He slipped in, and found himself in the kitchen. There, he stopped for a moment. Food was his priority after all, and Frost’s desire to satisfy his hunger was greater than his desire to steal goods. He waited… and relaxed a little. He couldn’t hear any movement at all. The home’s occupier had clearly gone to bed. So, keen to take as much as he could, Frost helped himself to the contents of the fridge. Mmm, this was good. This person had plenty of leftovers. Vegetables, turkey, potatoes, stuffing, cheese, desserts… hadn’t they eaten anything at all? Well… Frost should be grateful. At least they’d saved it to be used another day. Frost would have just given the food to whoever wanted it, or thrown it out. Once upon a time, he never ate anything that wasn’t fresh.

Not now, though. Now… recently cooked was good enough. He took a handful of leftovers, and ate them hungrily. Finally allowing himself to eat as much as he’d wanted to before – before he’d come up with the brilliant idea of robbing houses. He would do another house after this, and get more food and things to sell. Why hadn’t he been doing this all along…? This was better… this was so much better than starving! This was more like what he deserved! As Frost hungrily ate what he truly believed was rightfully his, he let his guard down. He was so preoccupied with the contents of this person’s fridge that he didn’t even hear their footsteps move from the unlit lounge into the kitchen…

_Click_. Frost froze, as the light suddenly came on. He looked up, his eyes wide and his body tensed, to see an equally startled icejin standing there. He was younger than Frost. Younger, and weaker… and terrified. Frost could already tell that this person wouldn’t be a threat. Their power level was lower than Frost’s; they didn’t seem to have much aggression to them… They probably wouldn’t even fight back, they’d just let Frost walk out of here with all of their stuff in exchange for their life. … Well, that didn’t sound like a bad deal… But unfortunately, Frost had to think of himself. He really couldn’t risk being seen. Not even by somebody that didn’t seem likely to report it.  
“… I’m sorry.” Frost spoke. “It’s… particularly unsavoury to break into somebody’s house on Christmas day, I know. Normally this would be beneath me, but… I’ve been experiencing a great deal of injustice recently. And I’m terribly sorry that you will have to pay the price.” He approached the younger male, and raised his palm, forming a small but deadly ki ball in it. “But I assure you, you will not feel a thing.”  
“No!” The younger icejin yelped, holding up his hands in defence. “P-Please! Don’t! You can take whatever you want, just please…” He glanced at the half-eaten leftovers Frost had taken from his fridge, and looked into Frost’s eyes. His heart was racing; his body was tense and trembling; his breaths had quickly turned short and rapid. He was terrified, but… he couldn’t help but think… why had Frost gone for food first…? “… Are – are you hungry?”  
“What?” Frost growled.  
“Y-You’re homeless?” The young male quivered. “T-Take it all. Please, I… I don’t need it.”  
“I was going to take it all.” Frost snorted. Hm. What was this boy trying to do…?  
“I-I figured, but… um… I … I can make you some more…” The icejin whimpered. “Or… do you need blankets, or…?” He swallowed, and sniffed back his tears. He was so scared he was crying. Not just scared, though… he was sad. How desperate did somebody have to be to steal food on Christmas day…? “I… I have spares, um… You can stay here, if…” He yelped, when Frost glared at him, and he started to shake even more. “Or just take them! It’s fine, you don’t have to stay here!” The male shrieked. “I’m just – I’m just trying to help you!”  
“Help me…?” Frost frowned, tilting his head slightly. He didn’t understand… He knew this had to be a trick of some sort, but… the boy seemed genuinely terrified. He didn’t seem in any frame of mind to use trickery or cunning… “… Why?”  
“… It’s Christmas.” The male uttered. “And… you break into my house, and the first thing you do is eat. There’s a brand new TV in there – and I know you probably would have taken it anyway, but… … I don’t think you want to. I think you just need… help.”  
“… And why would you want to help me?” Frost demanded.  
“… It’s Christmas.” The icejin repeated himself quietly, his face turning dark. He seemed a little embarrassed. Like he was expecting Frost to think he was foolish. … And rightfully so. “… You’re supposed to help people.”

Frost studied the young man for a moment. He didn’t get this. His mind told him not to believe him. His mind told him to believe that this was a trap, an act… The sensible thing would be to assume that this boy had every intention of calling the police as soon as Frost had left – or as soon as the opportunity presented itself. The notion that this boy would actually want to _help_ somebody who had broken into his house, stolen his food and threatened to kill him on Christmas day was ridiculous, but… … against his better judgement, Frost believed that was what was happening here. Something told him… this boy really did want to help. … How foolish of him.  
“… It’s warm in here.” Frost commented, suddenly becoming aware of his surroundings. This house wasn’t very big, but… all of a sudden, Frost couldn’t help but realise how warm and secure it was. Much more comfortable than the streets anyway… … Hmm… “I’m staying the night.” He said. “Don’t tell anybody I’m here.”  
“O-Okay.” The male stammered, nodding furiously. “I’ll – I’ll show you to the spare room – _**ai**_!” He let out a scream, as he tried to walk away but was immediately slammed into the wall by Frost’s tail.  
“Listen to me.” Frost snarled, pinning the younger male in place. “You will not leave my sight for a second. I do not trust you. If you leave my sight, I will kill you. If you tell anybody I am here, I will kill you. If you so much as _think_ about telling anybody I am here, I will kill you. Is that clear?”  
“V-Very clear…” The icejin whimpered, nodding frantically once more. Hm… Frost smirked. The boy’s face was pale. The fear in his eyes was the strongest Frost had ever seen; he had tears in them; he was shaking… … and yet, he wanted to help. For some reason… Frost actually believed that. Why…?  
“… What is your name?” Frost questioned, slowly releasing the younger icejin from his grasp.  
“Z-Zero, Sir…” The younger icejin answered, which caused Frost to snigger a little. ‘Sir’? How charming.  
“… Well, Zero.” Frost began. “I would like to take a bath. And have a glass of wine. Both of those things are available here, I assume?”  
“I… I don’t have any wine…” Zero admitted. “But… there’s fruit juice? It’s the same.”  
“… No.” Frost said flatly. “No, that is not the same.” 

He took off his cloak, and tossed it to the floor. “It doesn’t matter. We can get some tomorrow – and you can wash my cloak.”  
“Tomorrow…?” Zero looked at him. “Uh… How… how long are you staying…?”  
“I haven’t decided yet.” Frost answered. “But don’t worry, I can’t stay in the same place for too long. Just a few days, perhaps.”  
“Alright…” Zero mumbled. “Well…” He looked at Frost. “… What do I call you?”  
“Don’t call me anything.” Frost ordered. “Just show me to the bathroom.”  
“Okay…” Zero awkwardly moved past Frost, and led him through the house.


End file.
